Gifts
by Soomin
Summary: Kenshin had never really cared for his birthday, and his friends, no matter how unhappy some of them were, just went with it. However, when Hiko comes all the way from Kyoto just to celebrate a birthday Kenshin forgot he had, Kenshin knew that there was something more to this day than he remembered.


Kenshin's birthday was something that was long forgotten. During the war, Kenshin honestly lost track of time, especially after Tomoe's death. Sunrises blended with sunsets, and the only think that he used to count the days were the missions Katsura-san often gave him. Once the war was over and Kenshin began traveling throughout Japan, he was lucky to see a calendar during his travels. As such, the swordsman eventually just forgot his birthday over time. Added to the fact that Kenshin never looked his age, it just seemed like the Rurouni was an enigma against time.

That was what he had thought anyways.

His friends never really thought anything about his lost birthday. By now, they had understood that whatever Kenshin didn't want to share would never be shared in a million years unless the secret was forced out of him. As a result, instead of pushing for an answer, the group simply accepted that Kenshin just didn't want to celebrate his birthday. Even though Kaoru objected to this simple dismissal of Kenshin's birth, there was really nothing that could be done and that was the end of that. Because Kenshin was born into a farmer's family and wasn't even gifted a family name, there was a high chance that there were little to no record of Kenshin at all. If so, then it would be terribly difficult to find a single Shinta among thousands. It was a lost cause, and the best his friends could do was just cherish every moment they had with Kenshin.

Eventually, they too just simply forgot that birthdays even existed and allowed time to pass them by even though it never seemed to touch their red headed friend. For a long time, no one seemed to even mention the topic of age or birthdays again. So when Hiko Seijuuro traveled all the way from Kyoto to Tokyo, it was fair to say that all of them were thoroughly confused.

"Shishou?" Kenshin asked as he met his master at the dojo's gate, "What are you doing here?"

"What? Is that the warmest greeting you could give to a man who traveled kilometers just to celebrate his deishi's birthday?" his master asked with a small smirk on his face.

"My birthday?" Kenshin asked in genuine surprise.

"Technically, it was a week ago, but when I saw that you weren't even going to remind me that the date was coming up, I decided to make my way over here," Hiko explained but quickly became annoyed as he saw the confusion on his student's face.

"Don't tell me that you've forgotten your own birthday," Hiko groaned.

"Oro?" Kenshin responded, unsure of what else to say. It wasn't as if he could just lie and tell his master that he did. To be honest, Kenshin wasn't even sure of today's date. Desperately, Kenshin hoped that his master wouldn't ask that question in the near future.

While it was heartwarming that his master remembered the birthday of his student when even Kenshin couldn't remember the date, Kenshin was quite sure his birthday wasn't anything momentous even while he was still training. He could faintly remember a few words of congratulations, a special meal on a few occasions, but there was nothing that stood out. To be honest, the only consistent thing he remembered was his master giving him the day off from training as Hiko disappeared for the entire day. The fact that his master, a hermit who would rather live in a cave than live with people, came all the way down from his mountain to Tokyo didn't make any sense.

"Kenshin? Who was the person that was approaching the dojo? Is it a new student?" a female voice called out from behind him.

"Oh! It's Hiko-san! It's a pleasure to have you at my dojo," Kaoru greeted as she bowed to the master. Hiko returned the greeting but then continued glaring at his former student for his stupidity. It wasn't long before Kenshin broke under his master's stare.

"You truly forgot about your own birthday Kenshin?" his master asked again but this time with a more stern voice.

"Yes Shishou. But in my defense-"

"Hush," Hiko interrupted and took his student by the arm.

"I am taking my student back to Kyoto for a few days. Expect in a few weeks or so." Hiko called out and left without an explanation as to why they were heading there in the first place. Kenshin let out a few cries of surprise and objection, but it wasn't long before the two of them were out of earshot and Kaoru could no longer see the red headed swordsman or his master.

Suddenly things began to click in her mind and she gasped in surprise. It was Kenshin's birthday! At least, it was sometime around Kenshin's birthday. She remembered hearing Hiko-san mentioning that his actual birthday was a week ago, but no matter, because when Kenshin got back, they would properly celebrate how much Kenshin meant to all of them.

"Shishou, stop!" Kenshin called out for the fiftieth time that day. It was only when they had left Tokyo for good and on the path to Kyoto that Hiko finally stopped walking and let go of his student's arm.

"What is now? All you've been doing is complaining this entire time," Hiko irritably responded.

"Where are we going Shishou? I know that you're probably angry at me for forgetting my birthday because I'm a baka deishi and can't actually remember anything, but I don't understand why you're making such a big fuss over this. It was wasn't like my birthday was anything while I was training under you," Kenshin explained and waited for an explanation for his master's behavior.

For a moment, Hiko looked completely thrown off as If he hardly expected that answer. However, the expression was gone before Kenshin had time to analyze the expression, and the next thing he knew, he was on his back on the ground seeing stars.

"Before you say anything stupid like that again, I suggest you start thinking some more," Hiko said and began walking further down the path.

Rubbing his head, Kenshin glared at his master. His last birthday was over ten years ago; how was he supposed to remember what he did during that time? Not to mention when he couldn't actually remember doing anything special during his birthday. As Kenshin stood up, however, he did not try to return back to Tokyo. If there was one thing he knew about his master, his master never made a big deal out of anything. The fact that he was so insistent that Kenshin celebrates his birthday must of meant that something was important.

The word birthday began running through Kenshin's head. He had felt that the key to this entire mystery rested on that word. Birthday was the celebration of one's birth. As a child, his family was often too busy to celebrate his birthday, so if often went ignored. He wouldn't be surprised that as a child he forgotten his birthday then too. So how did Shishou figure-

The pieces instantly fell into place.

His master wasn't referring to his actual birthday as Shinta; instead he was talking about the day was birthed as Himura Kenshin. That was the day his master found a broken boy strong enough to bury all of those bandits.

Memories began surging into Kenshin's mind. He remembered his first year training with his master and holding his hand as they traveled to the graves. He then remembered when he was older where he held a jar of fine sake that he bought with his own money to the graves with his master following from behind. It had seem that the two events, the funeral and his day off from training, happened on two completely different days.

"Shi-" Kenshin started, but his master refused to hear another word.

"We'll be in Kyoto by tomorrow if we continue at this rate. If we just walk past the next village, we can rest at the next one and make good time to Kyoto," Hiko estimated. Sighing at his mistake, Kenshin vaguely wondered if the old man at the bottom of the mountain still sold sake.

* * *

At Tokyo, Kaoru had gotten into a birthday spree. She had estimated that Kenshin would be back within a week and a half since he often complained about spending time with his master. She knew he secretly enjoyed spending time with his master, but she also knew that Kyoto still brought bad memories to him, so he should be returning before too long. However, that meant that she only had a small window of time to make this birthday the best he ever had.

"Yo Jou-chan, how old is Kenshin going to be again?" Sano asked. Kaoru had put Sano in charge of making invitations for everyone of their friends. While Kaoru did not have faith in Sano's artistic skills, she knew that Sano still had connections with Tsukioka Katsuhiro. All he needed some basic information to tell Katsu to get the invitations ready.

"Hmm," Kaoru began thinking. "Thirty-one!"

Sano's face suddenly dropped.

"What? You're kidding? You mean a thirty-year-old man whipped me out? Oh man, the boys better not hear of this," Sano groaned, but Kaoru knew that he wasn't too bitter about it. He respected Kenshin as his superior, but she hadn't realized that Sano didn't know Kenshin's real age.

"How old did you think he was?" Kaoru asked.

"To be honest, the thought never occurred to me. Kenshin's already a mysterious guy. I was almost surprised when you didn't say fifty or something," Sano admitted. Once he wrote down a final bit of information, Sano began making his way to visit Katsu.

Kaoru was also surprised by Kenshin's age, but like most things with Kenshin, Kaoru just accepted that it was just Kenshin's nature to be more than what he seemed. However, the man was no longer a rurouni. That was the main reason Kaoru desperately wanted to celebrate Kenshin's birthday. She had assumed that Kenshin's lack of excitement for his birthday was a result of his time as a rurouni and a lack of care of what happened to him. However, with this new pieces of information, Kaoru would be sure to make sure Kenshin knew that a lot of people cared about him.

"Kaoru! How are you today?" Tae asked.

"Just fine Tae," Kaoru replied with a smile, "Hey could I ask you for a favor?"

"A favor? Why of course! You guys have been so helpful since Kenshin came and lived with you, it would be impossible for me to even refuse anything from you guys," Tae replied with a smile.

Inwardly, Kaoru was celebrating with how well this was all going. She promised herself that Kenshin was going to have the best birthday he would ever experience just to show him how much he meant to everyone. That was her vow.

"Thank you very much," Kenhin said as he was given a rather large bottle of sake. After having his master breath down his breath as he carefully chose a bottle of sake, he finally picked one that was supposed to taste the best. To be honest, Kenshin was never the drinking type, although he could hold his own against the best of them. He kind of assumed he had built a resistance to it as he was constantly exposed to it. However, throughout the years, he never had much experience in purchasing sake, and to some extent, he was glad for having his master around for this.

"Not a problem young man. It's good to see that there are still some people in Japan that enjoy good sake and not some of the Western drink," the young man at the stall complimented. Kenshin was sad to learn that the old man he knew so well had died some time during the Bakumatsu and now his son was in charge of the business. Despite his sadness, Hiko had assured Kenshin that his brew was just as good as the old man's.

"Yes, well, we all can't be opposed to change I guess," Kenshin joked and bid farewell to the sake salesman.

Hiko, still not looking at his student in the face, lead the way to all of the graves years ago. It had been years since Kenshin revisited these graves. He wondered if the graves he built all those years ago were still up. The wood must have rotted by now, and the rocks he had personally chosen for graves must be eroded and ugly by now. Kenshin almost felt sick thinking about it.

"Shishou," Kenshin began and waited for his master to interrupt him, but when he didn't Kenshin took a tentative step and continued, "I'm sorry about my impudence. I didn't realize this is what you were referring to."

When his master didn't make another word, Kenshin had to stop himself from making a sigh of relief. While it wasn't a definitive sign that he was forgiven, it was at least something on the way. Kenshin was grateful. Even though he often complained about his master's cruel way, in many ways, Hiko Seijuuro was a kind man. It was the same kind man that saved the child who had buried so many dead.

As they made their way up the mountain, Kenshin once again began thinking about the graves. These thoughts eventually made their way to the graves the carpenter made for his father, mother, brother, and sister. He had tried to make the graves like he had done, but he just did not have the experience or the materials. Now, after twenty years, those who had died that faithful night will probably have no more marks in the outer world all because of him.

"Age destroyed some of the graves," Hiko said out of nowhere, brining Kenshin out of his thoughts. "During the war, I noticed that some of them were molding and decomposing. I figured that since my apprentice died with the war, it was my duty to take care of these graves. However, now that I am convinced that he came back, I'm passing the duty to you."

Kenshin nodded. It was only right. He was a man now, and he was old enough to take care of the deaths and the bodies. It would be like the graveyard he was never allowed to visit as a Hitokiri in case he might begin feeling regret.

"Thank you for taking care of them, Shishou," Kenshin gratefully said.

"Don't thank me just yet. You have to approve of the changes first," Hiko grunted and stopped. Being much taller than his student, Kenshin had to go around him in order to see what his master meant. What he saw was something he would forever be thankful for.

His most recent memory of this place was it being full of crosses and the stones gathering more and more moss with every visit. Now, instead of the crosses, Kenshin could see proper graves in every place where a cross were. And instead of the three stones he specifically chose for the girls, the grandest graves he had ever saw now stood in their place.

"Shishou," Kenshin began as tears began swelling in his eyes, but behind him no one was there. Of course there wasn't. After all, he was the keeper of these graves now. It was his job to ensure that they get their respects. Brushing away his tears, Kenshin walked over to the grander graves and began pour the best sake in all of Japan. Once the jug was empty, Kenshin knelt down, and simply began to talk the night away.

* * *

There was news from the other town that a red headed swordsman was making his way to Tokyo. That was Kaoru's clue that Kenshin would be arriving in a day's time. The Akabeko was catering food, Sanosuke had invited everyone Kenshin knew and then some, Megumi had provided the drinks, and Yahiko did what he did best and made Kaoru's job much more harder than it needed to be.

"I told you that gifts go over there you dummy!" Kaoru yelled.

"Why? They work a lot better in the dojo," Yahiko retorted.

"You can't just use the dojo to store gifts! Now go and put all of them under the tree," Kaoru yelled and walked away. A trick she learned while teaching Yahiko was that the child was actually quite obedient, but always liked to get a rise out of Kaoru. Give him those things, and he would have believed he won and do what he was asked.

"He's coming!" Misao screamed as she jumped from the rooftop. Aoshi was right behind her and nodded in confirmation.

"Everyone hide!" Kaoru yelled out, and everyone went to his or her respective hiding spots except for Saito who simply went unmoved in his dark corner. Tokio had told Kaoru that was the best she could do with him, and even though Kaoru didn't like it, she knew better than to fight the Wolf of Mibu. Kaoru herself hid right beside the door of the dojo with her own present in her hand. Nervously, she began playing with her gifts in hopes that Kenshin would like it. She hadn't imagined that finding the perfect gift be so difficult. Kaoru actually resorted to asking Tokio for advice, and to her surprise, she was very helpful. She just only hoped that she made the right choice.

"Kaoru-dono? This one is home, that he is," Kenshin said in the open air.

"Surprise!" everyone excluding the more stoic members of the party yelled out. Party poppers began and everyone was making more noise than all of Tokyo.

"Oro?" Kenshin yelled in surprise.

"Happy birthday Kenshin," Kaoru smiled as she hugged him. However, she realized where she was and suddenly let go. Though she couldn't help but feel that Kenshin hugged her for a second longer after she let go.

"Is this for this one?" Kenshin asked, looing surprised at all the people who were here.

"Of course silly!" Kaoru laughed and suddenly began blushing. Pushing the gift into Kenshin's arms she quickly said, "and I hope you like this." She then ran away to Sae and Tae who quickly were counseling the embarrassed girl.

In his arms, Kenshin saw that it was a brand new haori that was green color in contrast to his worn red one. It was made from beautiful fabric and would fit him perfectly. Once he was able to catch Kaoru's eyes, he smiled and mouthed a thank-you. Kaoru began blushing again and fell back into the crowd.

"Yo Kenshin!" Sano said as he threw an arm around his friend, "so what did your master take you away for this time? Did that arrogant jerk even give you any gifts?"

Kenshin smiled and simply said, "He gave me something more than I could ever ask for: a past I could be happy to look back to."

And with that vague answer, Kenshin moved into the crowd and truly began celebrating his birthday.

* * *

For Ruroken Week Day 6: Kenshin's Birthday

I really like how this one came out. This is definitely my favorite so far.

Basically, I always thought that the graves would become old and worn by the end of twenty some years. So I thought since this is where Hiko found respect for Kenshin, in order to honor his memory, he would slowly create graves for all the bodies Kenshin buried.

Plus, since Hiko is pretty much the only one alive to know Kenshin's past, I thought it was fitting for him to heal his broken past like this. So instead of Kenshin's method of just forgetting, Hiko simply renewed and gave him a new anchor to hang on instead of the Bakumatsu.

Hope you all liked it as much I liked writing it!


End file.
